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Burning DVDs With TiVo, Without Burning Money
Electronics | Apr 28, 05
It's difficult to beat TiVo for ease of use in recording television, but it's when you combine that service with a DVD-R recorder that you get to experience the full potential of both technologies. Freed from a hard drive and burnt on a DVD, your TiVo recordings are now more permanent (you don't have to loose them to free up disk space) and portable, ready to be replayed on any DVD player.
What's really interesting is that TiVo enabled DVRs have of late become far more affordable. Consider the Pioneer DVR-57H DVD-R with TiVo and an 120 GB hard drive, which at the beginning of last year would have run you over $1,200 and today can be had for under $600 (see graph below.
Time Period: 10/20/2003 through 4/25/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
You get a lot of sophistication for that price, including 2:3 progressive scan and Faroudja directional correlation de-interlacing. In the same price range you can pick up a bit more hard disk space with the Toshiba RS-TX60, a 160 GB model that will allow up to 200 hours of recording. Both models come with TiVo Basic service right out of the box, allowing entry-level manual recordings by time and channel. The TiVo Plus (essentially the service currently enjoyed by TiVo's existing subscribers, with Search by Title, Season Pass and WishList functionality) is available for $12.95/month or $299 for the life of the product.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 2:52 PM | Comments (0)
1080p DLP TVs Coming Soon
Electronics | Apr 28, 05
Texas Instruments announced that its 1920 x 1080 High Definition DLP chips have begun volume production. Manufacturers who have announced 1080p DLP TVs include LG, Mitsubishi, Samsung, and Toshiba. These TVs are scheduled to appear in retail stores as early as July.
If you can't wait here are some currently available 1080p LCD TVs:
Samsung LT-P468W
Sharp LC-45GD4U
Sharp LC-45GX6U
Sharp LC-45GD6U
Posted by david.cost at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)
Images of Microsoft's Next Xbox
Video Games | Apr 26, 05
Images of Microsoft's Xbox 360 are spreading on the internet.
You can find more detailed images on IGN and Gamesradar
Posted by david.cost at 12:03 AM | Comments (0)
If your car has a navigation system ...
Computers | Apr 25, 05
Would you sell your computer without wiping out the hard drive? Have you thought about the personal information stored in your car's navigation system or HomeLink garage door opener?
The following story was reported on the AutoSpies website.
I'm currently driving a Lexus LX470 that I bought a couple of weeks ago at one of the local dealer auctions. It's an off-lease vehicle and has a factory navigation system. As I was driving on one of Orange County's toll roads Wednesday, I noticed an icon appear on the navigation screen. It was an image of a house. I quickly realized that this was the former "home" of the vehicle - a multi-million dollar home in one of OC's most exclusive neighborhoods. I also realized that if I hit the "home" button on the nav system, it would take me right there. And I would be willing to BET that if I hit the built-in HomeLink garage door opener, up would go the garage door, and I'd be in like Flint!! I didn't go try, but you get my point. I'm not about to go roam around these folks' house, but what if someone else with less scruples had obtained the vehicle? More to the point, do we want strangers knowing where we live and having the chance to enter at will? So the lesson is: in these days of heavily computerized vehicles we all need to be mindful of personal data. Just as you'd never sell a computer without first wiping the hard drive, you need to do the same with your vehicles' data sets. Wipe all the navigation data (especially your home address) and de-program the door openers before you turn in your lease or trade in your car. A little bit of effort, sure, but what's it worth to have peace of mind? Otherwise, who knows who could be coming to visit?
Dr. Dave- AutoGuys
Posted by david.cost at 5:35 PM | Comments (0)
Who is Syntax Groups?
Electronics | Apr 21, 05
Syntax Groups is an up and coming manufacturer of LCD TVs. In the fourth quarter of 2004, Syntax ranked third in market share behind Sharp and Panasonic. They beat Sony which ranked fourth. Marketshare data was reported by research firm iSuppli.
Check models and prices of Syntax LCD TVs
Link to iSuppli
Link to Syntax Groups
Posted by david.cost at 11:27 AM
Upgrade your iPod Headphones
Electronics | Apr 20, 05
Interesting article from Forbes.com reviews the E Series Headphones from Shure. The E3c model sounds like a great upgrade for any audiophile who owns an iPod or any other Digital Music Player.
Check current prices of Shure E3c and E5c
Link to Forbes.com article
Link to Shure
Posted by david.cost at 11:19 AM | Comments (2)
Today's Top Deals – A New PriceSCAN.com Feature
Electronics | Apr 19, 05
We've just rolled out a great new feature: Today's Top Deals. We'll be featuring the most extraordinary deals we find as we continuously scour the marketplace for unusual bargains. We'll be posting deals for all kinds of goods, from computers and electronics to music and fashion. It's a great place to check if you're looking for gift ideas at low prices, or if you just feel like treating yourself and don't want to overspend. But the deals change daily, so if you don't want to miss out, check Today's Top Deals every day. You just might find the deal of a lifetime.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)
Falling Rear-Projection TV Prices
Electronics | Apr 8, 05
Previously, when we've discussed the drop in large-screen television prices, we've generally been talking about flat-screen plasmas and LCD sets. However, I couldn't help but notice that the Sony KDF-50WE655, a fifty-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio, high definition rear projection model, is currently the eighth most popular electronics item on PriceSCAN.com. The reason may have something to do with the graph below.
Time Period: 9/20/2004 through 4/4/2005
Each tick mark represents one week
Red = High Price, Blue = Average Price, Green = Low Price
As you can see, the lowest price on PriceSCAN.com (green line) has dropped in price by about a third since September of last year, and now can be had for just slightly north of two grand. That's impressive given it's part of Sony's Grand WEGA Integrated LCD-based rear projection line. Yet casual inspection of all types of flat screen and rear projection television prices on this site reveals that the large price drops predicted ahead of 2004's holiday season have come to pass. For big screens, the future is now, and it's cheap.
Posted by jeffrey.trester at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
